It’s all in the root.

Ginger is a root that has been inextricably linked to us as humans. For thousands of years Ginger has been grown by man and used in many wise and wonderful ways. The use of Ginger in eastern cooking and medicine pre dates historical records. The wonder of it is that it enjoys a widespread use in many eastern cultures as well as significant use in the west. While some mistakenly call it a â€œwonder drugâ€, it is certainly a natural substance with powerful properties.

Besides the many claims for its medicinal properties, Ginger is just plain delicious. However one can’t scoff at the claims too much. It certainly does produce â€œheatâ€ in the body and as the muesli eaters say: â€œboosts your chakras manâ€. Besides the many uses in cooking it can apparently even be rubbed on as a poultice for headaches. I haven’t personally tried it, but hey, if I get another migraine (touch wood I don’t), I may be forced to try rubbing ginger paste on my temples instead of sitting in the dark cradling a ginger brew.

In fact the Romans were more interested in Ginger as a healing herb than a cooking spice. During 13 and 14th century in England Ginger was so sought after that one-pound in weight of the rhizome was equivalent to the cost of a sheep!

I am sure the vegans out there are appalled. Poor sheep they will cry reading this. But remember that if you had a ginger farm then you could go and trade a few pounds for all the sheep in England and then set them free.